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LEPROSY - AND THE NUMBER OF FEMALE PATIENTS
LEPROSY - WOMEN AND THE GLOBAL CHALLENGE
Research in India has helped to unlock a mystery - why far fewer women are detected with leprosy than men !
Extracts from the 1997 Annual Report of The Leprosy Mission (TLM)
During the years we worked in Leprosy Control in India and Bangladesh, we noticed that, by far, there was a greater number of male leprosy patients than female. We also found that many parents kept their affected children, especially daughters, ( for fear of not being able to "marry them off" ) locked away from the public eye and many husbands were frightened and ashamed, because of the stigma of the disease, for their wives to be seen as "lepers". For this reason, in spite of much opposition, we introduced female para-medical workers in Bangladesh and were shocked to find the large number of female sufferers who had been cut off from all compassionate treatment, just because of their gender. The Leprosy Mission's (TLM) research into the PLIGHT OF FEMALE SUFFERERS from the disease is reported in the following article extract by TLM - International, in its Annual Report (1997) - viz;-
"SHORTER TREATMENT ANNOUNCED.:-
In 1997, The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced the shortening of treatment for single-patch Paucibacilliary leprosy patients from six months to one day and for Multibacilliary leprosy from 24 to 12 months! This is a great advance for the many patients affected. However, there may be a sting in the tail, for, while the new drug regimens may achieve a dramatic drop in global figures, by reducing the number of cases on treatment registers, they will not affect the spread of the infection of leprosy. Concern was also expressed that the follow-up given to patients in the drug trials was relatively short . TLM and other organisations will continue to emphasise the importance of the high number of new cases a year (over 500,000) and the four million or so people who are disabled by leprosy.
INDIA :-
The Prime Minister of India did much to dispel the misconceptions surrounding leprosy when he visited 25 people affected by the disease to share breakfast with him on World Leprosy Day. Addressing the media, Mr. Gowda stressed that leprosy is no longer incurable and that leprosy patients receiving treatment can live in the community.
In a bid to the solve the mystery - why the number of women detected with leprosy is much lower than that of men - TLM carried out a GENDER STUDY in five States of India. The research shows that by increasing the number of female workers in a survey programme, many more women patients were detected - in this case, four times more adult women than expected. The research brings hope that more women will be found and treated in time to prevent disability.
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